# IM Corona Old Boy



## Commander Quan

Recently I posted a thread asking if anyone would be willing to let me borrow an Old Boy for a couple days to try it out before I dropped that much coin on a lighter. owaindav being the fantastic guy that he is stepped up and is letting me borrow his to evaluate. I currently have a Vertigo Briar pipe lighter, it's design is very similar to the Old Boy, but after comparing the two, it's safe to say that the Vertigo is the Old Boy's bigger, dumber brother. 

The first thing you realize about the Old Boy is it's heft, it's not very big, but it feels very sold. I found a site that says it weighs 80 grams, and I don't doubt that at all. 

Dave had told me that the lighter would probably need filled, so I decided to go ahead and do that before I started using it. The fill valve is located under a screw on the bottom of the lighter. This was Strike One for the Old Boy, I always keep a can of butane in the glove box of the car, but don't always have a screwdriver, luckily the slot was large enough to be unscrewed with a dime. Next I wanted to turn the fuel adjustment all the way down, but to adjust the fuel, you need to use a a tiny flat head screwdriver, and my dime was too big, Strike Two. Luckily my Vertigo lighter has a built in pick just like the Old Boy, and the end actually is a small screwdriver. I adjusted it all the way down, purged the lighter and refilled it with Vector, my preferred fuel. 

After the lighter was filled, I tried lighting it with the fuel adjusted all the way down, no flame, turned the screw, and tried lighting it again this time there was a 4 inch flame shooting out of the lighter. Obviously the adjustment is sensitive. I finally got it dialed in, and this is where the Old Boy really shines. It had an inch long flame, that comes out in a nice thin stream, and is even able to aim the flame straight down. It's much easier to get the flame where you want it than with other lighters I have used, and the risk of burning the rim on a pipe is very small. 

I've used it for a couple of days, and the lighter has been performing flawlessly. I did have to adjust the flame one more time, again using the tool from my Vertigo lighter, when the Old Boy's flame was getting blown out while lighting my pipe. 

Overall, this is a great lighter, it's not perfect, but it is the best I have used. If IM Corona would reshape the pick tool so you could use it to adjust the flame it would be near perfect. The price of one of these is between $75-$150 depending on the model. Whether or not it's worth that will have to be up to each person.


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## fivespdcat

Derrick, nice review here. I have the IM Corona Double Corona, it has both of the screws and adjustments that you commented on. For me, I just use a nail, the screw is not really tightened down hard and the little adjustment flap is easy to pick out. Try it, you may find it easier to work with.


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## indigosmoke

Nice review. I love my Corona Roller, so you can count me among the Corona fan club.


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## owaindav

Very nice review Derrick. Glad to give you that opportunity. And I have to say, it was actually Indigosmoke who got me to buy one of these. I don't think he knows it but I kept seeing him light his pipes in his videos with one and I had to find out what it was. It looked very cool and very easy to use.

So, we both have John to thank for me using and you trying the Old Boy!


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## MarkC

Pull out the tamper. The tamper disc is pretty close to the size of the fuel cap, so it works to unscrew it. And you see the other end of the tamper? Hey, that looks kind of like a little screwdriver!


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## Commander Quan

Good idea using the tamp end to get the one screw off, and I did try using the pick end to adjust the fuel, and I swear at the time it didn't fit, but I went back and checked and sure enough it did. 

Both of my issues with this lighter have been solved.


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## karatekyle

owaindav said:


> And I have to say, it was actually Indigosmoke who got me to buy one of these. I don't think he knows it but I kept seeing him light his pipes in his videos with one and I had to find out what it was.


Off subject... videos? Where can I find these?


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## Commander Quan

indigosmoke1's Channel - YouTube


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## karatekyle

Commander Quan said:


> indigosmoke1's Channel - YouTube


Oh f*** yeah. Guess I know what I'm doing for the next couple hours...

Thanks! :ranger:


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## quo155

Way to step up owaindav! 

Great review Derrick!


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## JuanOrez

Good review. I have this lighter and think it's well worth the extra money. It has never failed and no lighter I have ever owned felt as nice in the hand.

Cheers,


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## Mister Moo

Considering the money I couldn't imagine a Corona Old Boy was 5-6x better than a $20 Zippo. Then I got one. It is. Besides the flame quality, it's nice to run on one fill for two or three weeks, too.

Incidentally, I filled (or should I say overfilled) my Zippo for the first time in months and took it, in my pants pocket, on a coast-to-coast flight. I knew a Zippo was no worries for TSA and, besides, I hate traveling with a good lighter 'cause I tend to put stuff down and then never see it again. The Zippo seeped a little fluid on my leg over the hours and - ow - it still hurts. Haven't made that mistake in a long time. Old Boy won't do that.


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## Zeabed

I agree with all the good things ascribed in this thread to the OB, and would like to add that refilling an OB is easier and more effective than with any other lighter. And the refills last longer and provide more relights; pretty impressive, considering it is smaller than a Zippo, Xikar or Lotus. I also like that divine heaviness when holding it in the hand


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## HarleyPiper

I too purchased an Old Boy a couple of years ago. I really liked the look and feel of it when it arrived. I had it all of one week when I opened my washing machine one day only to discover my new prized possesion laying at the bottom. Like an idiot, I had left it in my pants pocket the day before. It was with an uneasy sinking feeling it my gut as I scooped it out of the washing machine and examined it. It appeared to be undamaged by it's recent bath and with just a couple of flicks it came to life without hesitation. That is what sealed the deal for me. Great little lighter. Worth the money. my only complaint would be that my flame will only adjust to about an inch max, no where near Commander Quan's 4 - inch flame. Any suggestions on increasing flame height would be appreciated.


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## Mister Moo

MarkC said:


> Pull out the tamper... ...the size of the fuel cap, so it works to unscrew it. ...the other end of the tamper [acts] like a little screwdriver!


+1 Remove strikes one and two. Back to strike one - it is easy to lose the gas filler plug; you need to pick your ground carefully before putting it down.


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